The Witcher: Lord of the Empire

In the garden of the mansion, there was a row of small, rudimentary graves. They were simply piles of stones with a wooden post driven into the top of each one. There were still stains of fresh blood around the graves, indicating that whoever buried the bodies had not been very delicate in their task.

"Those are all people who invaded the manor." Black Cat took the initiative to explain. “The guard killed them and buried them here.”

Kiyan commented sarcastically: “After killing the invaders, he still bothered to make graves for them? What strange kindness.”

The black cat didn't want to pay attention to him at all. It turned into smoke and condensed on Lann's shoulder. “Up ahead is the place where Iris used to draw.”

Lann looked ahead and saw a dust-covered, dilapidated easel.

A few moments later, another makeshift grave was erected in front of the easel. Iris was finally resting in peace.

Kiyan knelt before the grave, all his eyes had gone white, and he spread his arms out as he murmured: “Tortured soul, I have buried your remains. Leave behind the resentment, leave behind the pain, and manifest your presence…”

Kiyan repeated the spell in a slow, calm voice. Lann, sensing something strange, looked toward the mansion.

Unseen to everyone, all the chandeliers, braziers, and fireplaces in the corners where Iris had lived lit up, briefly dispelling the darkness of the mansion and adding a touch of warmth.

An ethereal figure, with her back to Kiyan, slowly began to materialize. She was wearing a long black dress, the same one Iris was wearing when she died, with a black veil covering her face. It was a mourning outfit.

She looked at a painting that showed Iris and Olgierd, both smiling warmly.

It was the spirit of Iris.

With her hands crossed over her abdomen, she stood tall and graceful. Lann couldn't see her expression, but he felt a fragility in her body, as if she could fade away at any moment.

After a long while, the spirit, apparently remembering something while looking at the painting, reached out a finger to gently touch it. Suddenly, white points of light began to appear on the canvas, slowly expanding until they transformed the painting into another image.

Lann looked closely, and the content of the painting had changed from a portrait of the couple to their home - von Everec Estate.

It was not the dark and sinister place that seemed to be filled with evil energy, but a noble mansion bathed in sunlight and surrounded by flowers in full bloom.

Looking at the image, they could almost hear the sounds of summer, insects buzzing and birds singing, full of life.

Suddenly, a cold breeze blew through the place, bringing everyone back to reality. Looking up, they saw Iris' spirit placing her hand on the painting, turning into green ashes that were absorbed by the canvas.

The witchers looked at each other in bewilderment.

The cat and the dog, who had been quiet until then, appeared and explained: "This is a world inside the painting, a dream world. It is an independent space created by Iris's mind, where she sleeps. If you want to find the real Iris, you must look for her inside here."

Lann nodded and, pointing at the witchers, imitated the iris spirit by placing his hand on the painting, immediately after which he felt dizzy.

As Lann fell to the ground, he felt nauseous, as if it was his first time passing through a teleportation portal.

He looked back and saw the other five witchers, all with the same reaction as him.

In front of them was the von Everec estate, which was similar to the one in the painting just now. It looked tidy and lively, and it was obviously before Olgierd left. Looking up, Lann saw a blue-green halo in the sky, reminding everyone that this world was an illusion.

The witchers recovered from their dizziness. Letho grabbed a handful of dirt, staring in wonder. "To create such a complete illusory world with just one painting as a medium... I've never heard of anything like that."

"I thought becoming a specter after death was the limit, but creating a world... Could it be that Lady Iris was also a master of black magic like her husband?" Auckes reflects.

Lann shook his head and sighed. "Magic in this world is always amazing. Some sorcerers spend centuries studying and are still outmatched by a simple dimeritium dagger, while ordinary people can create wonders with their pure and strong emotions."

Kiyan, still dizzy, detected the breath of the black cat and dog, which activated his senses.

Those demons that had possessed two small animals had also followed them.

"It seems you have very keen perception skills, and now is the time to use them. This world is made up of faded and blurred memories, things that the lady wanted to forget but couldn't. You need to find these nightmarish memories of the past and destroy them before you can awaken Iris." The cat explained.

Kiyan smiled and said: "It sounds like a fairy tale, shouldn't the prince be the one to wake up the princess?"

"If you really want to count it that way." Lann said. "In fact, we are going to ask the princess to help kill the prince."

Letho said expressionlessly: "I don't think Olgierd counts as a prince, not even close."

The cat and dog vanished, leaving the witchers to stare at the world around them. The air was filled with yellow luminous insects flying aimlessly, and a black mist slowly rose from the ground. Looking into the distance, the houses were blurry, only the garden in front of them seemed real.

The garden in front of them was a labyrinth designed to mystify visitors, a common detail in mansions.

In the garden pavilion, two figures stood still like statues: a couple, the husband sitting with a worried expression, staring at his empty hands, and the wife with a happy smile, painting their home on the canvas.

Ever since they entered this world, Lann's medallion had not stopped vibrating. He could easily discern the nature of these two figures: they were magical creations.

Kolgrim attempted to cut Olgierd's figure with his silver sword, but it passed through without resistance.

"It's just Iris and Olgierd's wishful thinking. There are no clues here, so should we look somewhere else?" Auckes suggested.

The black cat and dog suddenly appeared and explained to everyone: "It's not an illusion, they are shadows of the memories of the owner and the mistress, and it is also the beginning of Iris's nightmare. These memories are incomplete, they must be carefully restored to advance through the nightmares and finally find her."

Lann summarized: "So, we must restore these memories one by one, like a puzzle game, right?"

The cat and the dog answered together: "Yes."

They looked around, understanding why the house in the distance was blurry while the garden and pavilion were solid.

"I thought we were inside the painting, but we're actually in a woman's dream." Kolgrim commented.

Kiyan nodded. "That sounds almost poetic."

Searching for clues was what witchers did best, they were born detectives. Everyone activated their witcher senses and soon found anomalies in the pavilion.

"Iris is painting the mansion." Auckes said, approaching. "It's the same painting we came in through."

Serrit mused: "There is a record, a palette and a book on the floor. Those objects shouldn't be there, right?"

Lann glanced at the empty table and Olgierd's eyes staring at his hands. "Restoring memories means returning these objects to their place, right? Iris, lost in her sleep, has forgotten the details, and we must correct them."

Serrit placed the book in Olgierd's hands, so that his gaze could see the contents, then placed the palette on the table, within Iris's reach.

Before he could think about where to put the record, the memory reflection that was originally static suddenly rippled, and the illusory bodies gradually solidified.

"The disk seems to be unimportant." Serrit said, tossing it aside.

Lann took a step back and watched the reflection of memories in front of him begin to recreate the beginning of Iris's nightmare.

...

Olgierd sat on the bench, staring at the book in his hands, lost in thought. He hadn't turned a page in a long time, his mind wandering far away.

Iris, with her back to him, did not notice his concern. Or perhaps she thought it was a passing concern, and she would soon see her husband's smile again.

"Should we adopt a dog? Or maybe a cat too." Iris suddenly suggested. "When it rains, the dog will warm my feet and the cat will play with a ball of wool by the fireplace. What do you think?"

Iris smiled as she painted bright colors on the canvas, her tone filled with longing. As she spoke, the chirping of birds around her could be clearly heard from time to time.

But hearing no response, she turned to see her husband engrossed in his book.

Iris complained dissatisfiedly: "Are you listening to me?"

Olgierd woke up from his reverie. "Sorry, dear. I was too focused on the book."

Iris pursed her lips and suddenly felt sad. "Is that book so good?"

Olgierd didn't even raise his head. "Sorry, you're right. It's a terrible book... shall we go home?"

"Why? The day is beautiful, the birds are singing, the bees are buzzing... It's like a poem. You seem worried lately, this environment should cheer you up."

Olgierd avoided his wife's expectant eyes and said: "I'm not feeling well, I'm going home. If you like the day, stay a little longer."

After that, he staggered away without waiting for his wife's response.

Iris seemed to want to keep him, but she hesitated when she saw the tired figure. Her eyes were full of disappointment and worry.

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